Month: May 2017

Members of the Brandeis GPS Community may submit job postings from within their industries to advertise exclusively to our community. This is a great way to further connect and seek out opportunities as they come up. If you are interested in posting an opportunity, please complete the following form found here.

Where: REsurety, Boston, MA with a flexible Q2 start date

About: REsurety is a venture-backed FinTech startup that is eliminating the challenge of resource intermittency for the wind power industry. We are revenue-positive, have active customers, and work in partnership with some of the world’s leading risk market players. Our team keeps an informal office with open lines of communication, little hierarchy, and a rapid pace. If putting your skills to work to drive down the cost of renewable energy by solving the challenge of resource intermittency sounds exciting, then we would love to receive your application.

Position: Power Market Research Scientist

Position Details: As a Power Market Research Scientist, you will research and model future market structures, including how the buildout of renewable energy generation affects power prices.

Responsibilities:

Lead research into the effects of renewable capacity buildout on power markets, producing actionable insights that can be incorporated into our existing code base

The Rabb School of Continuing Studies awarded diplomas to more than 100 GPS students at its 2017 commencement ceremony this Sunday, May 21. Approximately 45 members of the graduating class attended the event, which took place on campus from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Faculty Club.

“Not only have you mastered a rigorous curriculum, but most of you have done this while working full-time and while balancing family responsibilities,” said Rabb School of Continuing Studies Vice President Karen Muncaster. “You are bright and you are capable and you’re going to change the world.”

Given the online nature of GPS programs, many graduates arrived from out-of-state and visited the Brandeis campus for the first time. Some students are traveling as far as Australia, Canada and throughout the U.S., including California, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Washington and North Carolina.

“Persevering through these programs is a truly relentless pursuit of long-term goals and requires incredible passion,” said student speaker and MS in Instructional Design and Technology recipient Kara Wasnewsky, whose cohort makes up the first group of graduates from that program.

The ceremony also featured remarks from Corey Thomas, CEO and president of Rapid7.

“My hope is that you achieve escape velocity, that you continually find the best in yourself, and that you resist the gravitational pull of apathy and mediocrity, said Thomas. “We need people who can go out and find common ground and mutual solutions. Be that catalyst who doesn’t just stay in your lane—be the one who seeks to unite.”

Now, let’s travel back in time to the year 2007; would your answers still be the same? Probably not. My point here is that 10 years ago, your experiences carrying, spending, saving, transferring, investing, and borrowing money were very different than they are today. In 2017, I am willing to bet that you use some sort of fintech app for your everyday financial needs. Using your mobile wallet to pay for coffee/tea in the morning? Repaying a friend for lunch using Venmo? Donating to a crowdfunding campaign? Checking your bank balance? Buying insurance? Refinancing your student loans? Considering a Robo-advisor to handle your investments? Leveraging an auto savings app to build a nest egg? All are examples of FinTech innovation that we now have access to with a tap and a swipe on our mobile devices.

VC’s & banks take notice

As technology continues to permeate every aspect of our lives from social media to healthcare, why would our interactions with money be any different? Investment dollars have been pouring into FinTech the last few years ($17.4 Billion in venture backed funding in 2016 alone), which means that there are some very smart people trying to revolutionize every aspect of the financial services you use every day. While not all startups will be successful in this endeavor, the few that do will continue to transform the financial services ecosystem. And let’s not forget about big banks, top financial institutions have taken notice of the FinTech boom and taken action. These companies are building innovation labs, hiring top tech talent and investing / acquiring startups to ensure they stay relevant for customers in what has become a rapidly changing and competitive environment.

Technology rules

With all of the technology now available to create smarter, faster, and cheaper products and services, no corner of the financial industry will be left static. Take the rise of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether – could there be a day in the not-so-distant future where physical currency becomes obsolete? You may think that sounds crazy, however, the next time you make a purchase, ask the company if it accepts bitcoin as a form of payment – the answer may surprise you. Technology will continue to change and be applied to financial services at a pace that we could never have imagined just a few short years ago. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, not to mention a little technology called “distributed ledger” will all play a role in fueling the next evolution of FinTech innovation for both institutions and consumers.

Global dominance

FinTech isn’t a regional, socio-economic or generational phenomenon. FinTech is global, and it will impact the entire financial ecosystem, from central banks to the unbanked. Get ready, because FinTech has only just begun changing your life.

On Sunday, May 21, at The Faculty Club at Brandeis University, The Rabb School of Continuing Studies will award diplomas to 112 Brandeis GPS students at its 2017 commencement ceremony. We are so excited that 44 members of the graduating class are expected to join us for the on-campus ceremony. We can’t wait to celebrate the achievements of all of our graduates!

As GPS programs are all fully online, many graduates are coming from out-of-state (and even out of the country!), and will be visiting the Brandeis campus for the first time. Students are traveling as far as Australia, Canada and throughout the U.S., including California, Maryland, Florida, Washington and North Carolina.

Kara Wasnewsky is a May 2017 graduate of the Instructional Design and Technology program. She graduated summa cum laude from Fitchburg State University in 2011 where she earned a bachelor’s of science in communication media. She is currently a Learning Tool Strategist at Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, where she designs online instructio
nal tools to assist instructors and students in higher education classrooms across the country. Kara lives in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Raymond Tsang is a veteran software engineer at Dell Technologies, Data Protection Unit. Previously, Raymond served as a Senior Software Architect at Wilshire Inc, a financial consulting firm based in Santa Monica. He is also the founder of StockTrendCharts.com, a website that predicts stock trends using a proprietary algorithm. He graduated from UC, San Diego with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science & Engineering and is completing his Master degree with Brandeis University in Strategic Analytics.

Diplomas will be awarded to students graduating from the following programs:

Master of Software Engineering (15 graduates)

MS in Bioinformatics (3 graduates)

MS in Health and Medical Informatics (11 graduates)

MS in Information Security Leadership (12 graduates)

MS in Instructional Design and Technology (4 graduates)

MS in Technology Management (18 graduates)

MS in Project and Program Management (33 graduates)

MS in Strategic Analytics (16 graduates)

Congratulations to all of our graduates, we can’t wait to celebrate with you and hear about all of your future accomplishments!

As we’re gearing up for the Brandeis GPS commencement ceremony on May 21, GPS students are gathering their families and preparing to travel to Waltham to celebrate their accomplishments. While planning is underway, we wanted to celebrate the first graduates of one of the newest GPS programs.

Launched in fall 2015, the MS in User-Centered Design represents a growing movement of designers who seek to produce technologies that adapt to the user rather than attempt to force behavioral change.

Many professionals currently working in IT, web development, digital marketing and computer science share the belief that the way people experience design is critical to the success of any creation. The User-Centered Design program at Brandeis GPS allows professionals with titles such as interactive designer, human factors engineer, user experience strategist, web developer, and more to expand their knowledge and career potential. The fully online, part-time program equips students to identify the human factors that influence user response, apply social and psychological principles to predict user response, and build prototypes and evaluate design effectiveness, analyzing qualitative and quantitative information.

With some of the biggest names in technology and innovation looking to hire user center design specialists, those with this specialization are in high demand. Companies like Amazon, IBM, Deloitte, and Apple, among others, are constantly seeking new hires with the latest training in the field.

User Centered Design at Brandeis

The User Centered Design faculty understand the challenges of modern industry. When not teaching they’re developing technologies for higher education communities or advocating for design innovation, they structure their GPS curriculum to draw on real-world expertise and connections that ultimately help our students advance their career goals. Courses are taught by professionals in the field who draw on their work experience to mentor GPS students in the classroom.

The 30-credit User-Centered Design degree has seven required courses and three electives. Required courses provide students with a focused education surrounding fundamental topics in the field, while electives build upon specific professional skill sets and allow students to enrich and round out their studies.

We can’t wait to hear all that the class of 2017 will achieve as they use their knowledge to transform the development processes in many fields. We are confident that the skills they have gained as GPS students will allow them to further their career goals while making products, software, and other tools, that focus on usability. Congratulations to the User Centered Design students and the entire class of 2017!

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For the first time ever, the city of Boston will be hosting Boston FinTech Week, a four-day event featuring some of the world’s biggest and brightest financial services institutions and the people behind them. Sponsored in part by Brandeis GPS, Boston FinTech Week (which runs from September 11-14) is a collection of conferences, networking opportunities, […]

By Nicole Russo I don’t think that I realized this at the time, but a major contributing factor in my pursuit of a career in higher education was community. In my own undergraduate experience, I felt support from my fellow peers, as well as mentorship and guidance from the faculty and staff. I had not […]

After starting his master’s as an undergraduate, a Brandeis University alumnus proves that full-time work and graduate school can co-exist. Three days after graduating from Brandeis University with a BS in Health: Science, Society, and Policy (HSSP) and a minor in Economics, Allan Chuang (class of 2017) enrolled in the university’s Health and Medical Informatics […]

By Mike Storiale When FinTech began its ascent, single-solution providers opened the door to expertise and simplicity rarely brought to the table by traditional banks. Solutions designed to meet unique needs created excitement from consumers and investors alike. Throughout the industry, experts discussed the need for an open architecture from banks and FinTechs to empower […]

By Lance Eaton That’s always the first question I get when I tell people that I am an instructional designer (an ID for those of us “in the know”). It all started when I was 6 years old, and my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I peered up […]

It was so good to see Brandeis University alumni at #DeisReunion17 last weekend! In case you missed us at the festivities on campus, we want to make sure you know about the Brandeis alumni tuition discount on all Graduate Professional Studies courses and programs. Whether you’re looking to obtain a master’s degree or supplement your […]

It’s been a few weeks since the GPS class of 2017 commencement ceremony. Congratulations once again to those who received their degree! We’re checking in to remind all GPS alumni – past and recent – about your tuition discount and an important change to our academic calendar. Starting in fall 2017, GPS will be moving […]

Members of the Brandeis GPS Community may submit job postings from within their industries to advertise exclusively to our community. This is a great way to further connect and seek out opportunities as they come up. If you are interested in posting an opportunity, please complete the following form found here. Where: Cambridge, MA About: […]

Members of the Brandeis GPS Community may submit job postings from within their industries to advertise exclusively to our community. This is a great way to further connect and seek out opportunities as they come up. If you are interested in posting an opportunity, please complete the following form found here. Where: REsurety, Boston, MA […]

The Rabb School of Continuing Studies awarded diplomas to more than 100 GPS students at its 2017 commencement ceremony this Sunday, May 21. Approximately 45 members of the graduating class attended the event, which took place on campus from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Faculty Club. “Not only have you mastered a rigorous curriculum, […]